[Grammar] at lesson's end

[constantinusphilo]

This is a quote from The Magus by Fowles: They cared nothing for literature,and everything for science. If I tried to do their eponym’s poetry with them, they
yawned; if I did the English names for the parts of a car, I had trouble getting
them out of the class at lesson’s end;
So, why at lesson's end and not at the lesson's end?
I have consulted all the grammar books I could lay my hand on and I failed to find an answer.
Thank you in advance.

 

[probus]

Because it happened not once but repeatedly.

 

[Tarheel]

Do you have only one hand?

 

[constantinusphilo]

Sorry I am not sure I understand your meaning. Then, if it happened repeatedly it would be lessons' end, or something like that.
The only examples I have found for 'end' without an article were in Putsma's Grammar, where he quotes 'on end' and 'to make ends meet'.

 

[emsr2d2]

This is a quote from The Magus by John Fowles:

Book titles should be italicised. Please remember to give the author's full name. There are a lot of authors whose surname is Fowles.

 

[jutfrank]

It sounds a bit literary to me. I doubt you're going to find anything in any grammar books concerning this.

I think the lack of an article gives it something of a slightly more general feel, as if the end of the lesson has a greater significance in some way.

 

[emsr2d2]

This is a quote from The Magus by John Fowles:

"They cared nothing for literature, space after a comma and everything for science. If I tried to do their eponym’s poetry with them, they yawned; if I did the English names for the parts of a car, I had trouble getting them out of the class at lesson’s end; ...".

So, why did the writer use "at lesson's end" and not "at the lesson's end"?
I have consulted all the grammar books I could lay my hands on [STRIKE]and[/STRIKE] but I failed to find an answer.

[STRIKE]Thank you in advance.[/STRIKE] Unnecessary. Thank us after we help you, by clicking on the "Thank" button.

Please note my corrections above. When you quote someone else's work, enclose the words in quotation marks. Amongst other things, this helps to separate it from the other words in your post. Remember to add some line breaks between paragraphs so that we are not faced with a big block of unbroken text.